The present invention is concerned with electrical connectors, and more particularly splice connectors for joining the ends of pairs of electrical leads to provide a waterproof connection able to resist significant tensile loads.
In conducting blasting operations for mining, excavation, seismic testing and the like, electrically detonated blasting caps are utilized. In many situations, the blasting caps are placed adjacent to charges located in boreholes at relatively great depth, extending vertically into the earth.
In such blasting operations there are typically a large number of charges and blasting caps implaced which all must simultaneously be detonated, or the blast will not produce the desired result and a misfire of any charge requires in a very costly reboring of the boreholes and emplacement and wiring of new charges.
Typically, such boreholes are below the water table such as to be flooded, so that the electrical connections thereto must be waterproof.
The leads to the blasting caps are also subjected to significant tensile stresses due to the relatively great depths and rough handling incidental to such operations.
A suitable splice connector for making electrical connections to the blasting cap has not heretofore been provided, which will with sufficient reliability achieve a waterproof connection which is also able to withstand the tensile stresses placed on the spliced connection in handling. For these reasons, the practice has been to provide a large inventory of blasting caps having leads of various lengths to accommodate various borehole depths.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a electrical connector for making dual splice connections between electrical leads, which is waterproof and able to withstand significant tensile stress, to allow reliable connections to detonator cap leads of a single length.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such splice connector which is simple, low in cost, and easily usable in the field.